system instability

**Conception514** · July 20th, 2002, 11:58 PM

Hi! I am new, have no "computer" knowledge at all, and need help.

I keep getting the following report entitled " error signature" which reads as follows:

"Display driver for S3 Graphic Inc. Savage 4 responsible for system instability"

and which appears after computer shuts down and restarts by itself. My only understanding: I loose the work I was doing...

New installations made by computer shop recently: Western Digital Hard Drive (7200 RPM, 80 g), Windows XP Pro and Linksys Rooter BEFSR41.

I have no idea where and what to look for to find a solution to my system instability.

Thank's in advance!

**Redwolf** · July 21st, 2002, 12:07 AM

Welcome to TechIMO dude!

Sounds like your Video Card Driver may be corrupted. Not as bad as it sounds though, just need to upgrade your drivers. Head over to the following link and download the latest drivers:

-edit- For Your Information, the Windows 2000 drivers are compatible with XP.

http://www.s3graphics.com/

If that doesn't work, were going to need some more info. Try and tell us:

Computer make/model of purchased from a major manufacturer (ie Dell, HP, Compaq, etc)

Motherboard Make/Model (should be in manual)

How much RAM do you have (ie 128mb, 32mb, 64mb, etc?)

-edit- Opps, you have XP pro

You obviously have a card based on the S3 Savage 4 chipset. Do you know who made the card and what the model # is?

What is your sound card make/model (can be related)?

P.S. Oh, and don't worry about not having much computer knowledge. If you want to learn, we can help you very much

**Conception514** · July 21st, 2002, 03:11 AM

Wow! Fast answer!
For sure, I visited the S3 Graphic site right away! and I am back with... a question.

My chip ID seems to be 8A22 and according to my system info (under "software/signed driver") S3GraphicSavage4 is dated 2001-06-06.

Now, I have found a chip ID 8A22/ Savage4/ 394-399 Driver (with following description: "Logo'd: Savage 4 Windows 2000 Version 8.40.02 S3_AGP" which I have no clue what it means) and showing Oct. 4, 2000 as a date.

My question is : I wonder if this is the correct update? (I go with what I understand here: dates....! 2001 -vs- 2000)

As for my computer info, is a built-one :
AMDK6
OS Name Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Version 5.1.2600 Build 2600
System Model VT82C598
System Type X86-based PC
Processor x86 Family 5 Model 8 Stepping 12 AuthenticAMD ~551 Mhz
BIOS Version/Date Award Software International, Inc. 4.60 PGMA, 2000-01-11
SMBIOS Version 2.2
Boot Device \Device\HarddiskVolume1
Locale United States
Hardware Abstraction Layer Version = "5.1.2600.0 (xpclient.010817-1148)"
Total Physical Memory 448,00 MB
Total Virtual Memory 1,47 GB
Page File Space 1,03 GB

Of course I wish to learn (at my paste if possible) and thank you again very much!

**piyopiyo13** · July 21st, 2002, 04:17 AM

Do you have the original driver that came with your video card? If not, I'd just go with the ones that they have at their website.

One question: has this been going on since you got your computer or did it just recently start?

**angelcat** · July 21st, 2002, 04:37 AM

Welcome to TechIMO! You have found the best place, with some of the greatest people here. Anytime you need help, there usually is someone who has the knowledge you require!

**Redwolf** · July 21st, 2002, 11:11 AM

Okay, open up your case and look inside. Try and locate your graphics card (wher the monitor plugs in of course

, should be at the top). If it is plugged into a white slot like the other cards, you have a PCI card. Download the other drivers (the ones that don't say AGP). If it is plugged into a brown slot that seems to be offset a little, you have an AGP card and those drivers are what you need.

Anyway, explenation of filename:
Logo'd - Not sure
Savage 4 - Not too hard to guess this one

Windows 2000 - Designed for Windows 2000, although XP will run it just fine (XP and Windows 2000 use the same base system, they are just cosmetically different).
Version 8.40.02 - This is the 8th major revision, 4th minor revision, and second VERY minor (probably fixed a misspelling somewhere) revision.
S3_AGP - Means it's an S3 chipset designed for an AGP port.

Just FYI (for your information

)

**Conception514** · July 21st, 2002, 01:42 PM

I will go to bed less stupid today, that is for sure!

Thank you for your also warmth welcoming Angelcat.

Now...
First, I went to get my original information and then opened my case. So I can answer both Piyopiyo13 and Redwolf.

Should I mention that I have 2 disk drives? and problem started once the second disk (with all the other new stuff) was installed (other stuffs are rooter and windows xp).
BTW (by the way) online McAfee (Clinic) does not work fully with widows xp except for Virus online and it is when running the virus scan that my computer first went "bananas'" (bananas= shuts down and retarts). I guessed it was because it didn't like XP, or was not fully compatible or else. I went on without troubling myself (you always pay for services that will stop working properly after a while.... so no big surprise I thought here, even "lucky me" service was perfect before - when I was using windows 98). Then when I opened my email wow it did it again! (my email: Outlook Express 6 but I use IncrediMail XE as default). That was not normal at all and I started to try find out what was going on, what was wrong and starting a research on the net... so here I am.

Two drives I said above.
So here is the first drive (first installed 2 years ago) called my D:
Model QUANTUM FIREBALLlct20 10
Bytes/Sector 512
SCSI Bus 0
SCSI Logical Unit 0
SCSI Port 0
SCSI Target ID 1
Sectors/Track 63
Size 9,55 GB (10*256*924*160 bytes)
Total Cylinders 1*247
Total Sectors 20*033*055
Total Tracks 317*985
Tracks/Cylinder 255
Partition Disk #1, Partition #0
Partition Size 9,55 GB (10*256*891*904 bytes)
Partition Starting Offset 32*256 bytes

And the 2nd drive (the newest, this month) called my C:

Model WDC WD800BB-00CAA1
Bytes/Sector 512
SCSI Bus 0
SCSI Logical Unit 0
SCSI Port 0
SCSI Target ID 0
Sectors/Track 63
Size 74,53 GB (80*023*749*120 bytes)
Total Cylinders 9*729
Total Sectors 156*296*385
Total Tracks 2*480*895
Tracks/Cylinder 255
Partition Disk #0, Partition #0
Partition Size 74,53 GB (80*023*716*864 bytes)
Partition Starting Offset 32*256 bytes

SOME MORE....??
Info from the original boxes (2 years ago):
Motherboard is AOpen AX59Pro
Video Card is AOpen 3D Navigator PA700

MORE...
Info from System Info:
SMC EZ Card PCI 10 Adapter (SMC 1208)
also says: Via tech CPU to AGP controller
and about Via:
Name VIA Bus Master IDE Controller
Manufacturer VIA Technologies, Inc.

OK.
Once opend I saw on the back (the exit where monitor plugs) a small blue slot (one inch long more or less) then I saw the first "eletronic card" on top of the other (on the back of which is written AOpen) pinned into a brown slot (approx. 2 inches). All other slots seems to be white (except for a "square block" that is pink top corner on the left of the tower, under power box).

Again: I am confused because:
1) brown slot
2) SMC EZ Card PCI 10 Adapter (SMC 1208)
3) Via tech CPU to AGP controller

?? should I take 2) and 3) into account and if so... thank you for your guidance!

have G-day!!

PS: here is a nice & sunny Sunday.

**originel** · July 21st, 2002, 01:59 PM

ok from what it sounds like, it is VERY unlikley that your new hard drive or router are the cause (if they are, i'd really like to see how it happened for kicks). 2) and 3) are just OS stuff. it means that your motherboard's based on the via chipset (basically the motherboard needs its own processor to keep everything organized, called a chipset). and the PCI adapter is just the way windows talks to PCI devices (the white ones). all this sounds like is your video card drivers. i checked s3's website and didn't see the drivers for your graphics chip. if you could, go to "start->settings->control panel" and click on "system" which should bring up a new window with 7 tabs. click on "devices" (i think) and it should bring up a list of all your hardware. if it has not already been expanded, click on "display adapters" and post the what you see (there should be only one entry with an icon that looks kinda like a computer card). if it has already been expanded and you can see a listing under display adapters, there will be some sort of small marking on it like a red "x", if you see this post it (i haven't logged into windows in a while, it's kinda fuzzy).

basically what you are doing is checking on your video card drivers to see if they are working properly, and also to find out the name of your video card

**Redwolf** · July 21st, 2002, 03:21 PM

You have an AGP card. Brown slots are AGP ports. Try installing those AGP drivers you mentioned earlier. If that doesn't work, do what originel said.

**Conception514** · July 21st, 2002, 03:22 PM

Hello Originel!

I did as you said.
Under windows XP (different from 98) I clicked on Start/
Control Panel / System

Under Hardware Tab:
Device Manager (icon looks like a screen monitor)
Display Adapters shows: S3 Graphic Inc Savage 4
no red "x", nothing else.

It says under S3 Graphic Ins. Savage 4 properties: "this device is working properly"

Reminder: message error report says "S3 Graphic Inc. Savage 4 responsible for system instability"

!!??

**Conception514** · July 21st, 2002, 03:30 PM

To Redwolf: ok I opened the file (Oct 2000 ; the AGP one) but I have not "saved it"

"Open file" makes it go to my Temporary Internet Files. Should it be saved? what directory? I feel stupid!

Thank's again!

**originel** · July 21st, 2002, 04:38 PM

"Device Manager" - THAT's what it was. since i use Linux most of the time i tend to forget stuff like that.

well anyway, now you know you have an S3 Savage 4 for certain and you just need to install the S3 Savage 4 AGP win2k/xp drivers and everything should work fine.

**Conception514** · July 21st, 2002, 06:15 PM

Originel! me again!! with your information, I have found:

Savage4 Win2K/XP Driver

see "latest files" (on the right and down of the screen) of this address:

http://www.savagenews.com/?show=2191

as previously mentioned I just open the file, first.
I tried to run viruscan on line once again.
Same problem: windows shutsdown, comes back with error message of syst. instability (same one).

Now I have saved the file Savage4 Win2K/XP Driver on my desktop along with the other one i.e. s3savage-1.0-15.tar.gz file loaded from https://ranger.s3graphics.com/395drv/

Is that what it is "insalling"? I think a miss a proceeding or something, don't I?

May be the problem is McAfee online with Windows XP?

Thank you again for your help and support.

**Redwolf** · July 21st, 2002, 08:27 PM

Umm...sorry to tell ya but you downloaded the Linux drivers from https://ranger.s3graphics.com/395drv/. Download the file: 84002w2ks3agplogo.zip
Tell IE (or whatever browser you use) to Save it and save it to your Desktop. Now simply open that file and inside should be a program. Just extract that and run it and you'll be set

To extract:
1. Right click on file, click copy
2.Right click on Desktop, click paste.

**Conception514** · July 21st, 2002, 09:40 PM

No, Redwolf, I am the one who is sorry: I have given you the wrong opened file name!

Now.
The "Savage 4" is on my desktop and I have unzipped all files (since have not found any ".exe" related to "program"). This download contained ".dll" and ".cfg" plus help files.

I guess that is it?

As a test, what about tryign to run this McAfee online service again?
I will do it later this very night...

Thank you again!

**Redwolf** · July 21st, 2002, 09:45 PM

Hehheh

Red the readme file, it should tell you how to install the drivers. Usually, it will have a .inf file in it, do you see one?

**originel** · July 21st, 2002, 09:48 PM

ok, that is the driver, but it won't install it for you, you'll have to go in and do it yourself, it's not hard though.

go back to start->control panel->system->device manager

right click on the savage 4 and click properties.

this will bring up a new window and click the tab that says "driver" (once again, not completey sure if this is the right name, still in Linux)

there should be a button at the bottom that says "update driver" (i think) and click it

it will bring up a new window, click next till you get to the part where you can choose "install driver automatically" or "install driver manually" (or something to that effect) and select "install driver automatically."

then you should get 4 choices where you want to install the driver from ("floppy" "cdrom" "select location" "windows update") unselect everything except for "specify location"

when it asks you for the location, tell it where you unzipped the file you downloaded. and click next (maybe a few times)

a window will come up saying that the driver you are trying to install has not been tested with microsoft and such. just click "yes", the driver'll work fine.

you'll prolly have to restart, but that should do it.

**Redwolf** · July 21st, 2002, 10:17 PM

Oh, and if you unzipped to your desktop, it will either be in C:\Windows\Desktop or C:\windows\Personalized Settings\[yourusernamehere]\Desktop.

**Conception514** · July 22nd, 2002, 12:11 AM

I have followed the insructions from Originel and huuuu great news: all done + my test runned successfuly
meaning: virus scan online (from McAfee) went all the way with no shut down! it's a first in days!

As for the help files.... there were 33, so, after a full day on this "Savage case" I couldn't bother anymore...

So far so good!

Thank's a thousand time (at least!!)